Selected in Upper Midwest Competition; Winners to Be Announced in June
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 28, 2015-- Datalink (Nasdaq: DTLK), a leading provider of data center infrastructure and services, announced today that President and CEO Paul Lidsky is a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the Upper Midwest. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Regional award winners will be announced June 11 in Minneapolis.
Lidsky took the reins at Datalink in 2009, when the company had 311 employees and annual revenues of $176 million. From 2009 to 2014, he implemented an aggressive growth strategy that included transitioning the company from its primary business as a value-added storage reseller to become a full-service data center services and solutions provider. That strategy, executed through organic growth as well as four acquisitions, has grown the workforce to more than 630 employees in 35 locations and more than tripled revenues to $630 million.
Under Lidsky’s leadership, the company has successfully diversified to address every phase of the IT lifecycle and provide a full range of services designed to help organizations understand and leverage newer technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing and converged infrastructure to support their business needs. These changes have catapulted Datalink to a #47 ranking on CRN’s list of the top 500 technology integrators in North America.
“Our growth has been a team effort and one that has been particularly gratifying in light of the changes that have taken place in the technology industry over the last few years,” Lidsky said. “Being recognized in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition is strong validation of the road we have taken to fuel that growth and essentially reinvent ourselves to build a company that is now among the leaders in the data center services space.”
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, CA, on Nov. 14. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards were founded and are produced by EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Now in its 29th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.
The program is nationally sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America. In the Upper Midwest, region sponsors include Padillacrt, Fagre Baker Daniels, Twin Cities Business, Merrill Corporation, Lockton, Pohlad Companies and Salo.
A list of the 2015 Upper Midwest finalists and independent panel of judges is available at ey.com/us/eoy/um.
About Datalink
A complete data center solutions and services provider for Fortune 500 and mid-tier enterprises, Datalink transforms data centers so they become more efficient, manageable and responsive to changing business needs. Datalink helps leverage and protect storage, server, and network investments with a focus on long-term value, offering a full lifecycle of services, from consulting and design to implementation, management and support. Datalink solutions span virtualization and consolidation, data storage and protection, advanced network infrastructures, business continuity, and cloud enablement. Each delivers measurable performance gains and maximizes the business value of IT. For more information, call 800.448.6314 or visit www.datalink.com.
About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.
Source: Datalink
Press Contact for Datalink
Jill Schmidt, 847-921-1295
Jill Schmidt|PR
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